Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Sues Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for False Arrest and Malicious Prosecution

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This will be fun to watch

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https://meidasnews.com/news/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-sues-interim-u-s-attorney-alina-habba-for-false-arrest-and-malicious-prosecution-

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has filed a federal lawsuit against interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution following his controversial detainment during a protest at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in May 2025.

Background of the Incident
On May 9, 2025, Mayor Baraka joined three Democratic members of Congress—Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez Jr., and LaMonica McIver—at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, for an unannounced oversight visit. The facility, operated by the private GEO Group under a federal contract, had recently reopened amid concerns over its compliance with local regulations and the treatment of detainees ,,,,

In his lawsuit, Mayor Baraka alleges that Habba's actions led to his false arrest and malicious prosecution, causing reputational harm and emotional distress. The suit claims that the arrest was part of a broader effort to intimidate and silence critics of the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Baraka's attorneys are seeking damages and a formal acknowledgment of the alleged misconduct. They ar

gue that the arrest and subsequent legal actions were not only unwarranted but also violated Baraka's constitutional rights.

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1. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka sues US Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba for false arrest & defamation

This will be fun to watch

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

2. Excellent.

[malaise]

3. Good

Rec

[SheltieLover]

4. Excellent!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Maddow Blog-Newark Mayor Ras Baraka sues Alina Habba, alleging 'false arrest and malicious prosecution'

Last edited Tue Jun 3, 2025, 12:51 PM - Edit history (2)

Alina Habba's criminal case against Ras Baraka collapsed quickly. Now, the tables have turned, and the Newark mayor is suing the prosecutor.

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https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-sues-alina-habba-ice-arrest-rcna210629

When the acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, dropped all charges against Ras Baraka, the Democratic mayor of New Jersey’s Newark, it might’ve seemed as if the legal dispute were over. It was not.

On the contrary, a few weeks after the incident that sparked the dropped criminal case, the tables have turned, and Baraka is now suing Habba. The New York Times reported:

[Baraka] filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, that argues that his arrest was motivated by political malice, not justice. The lawsuit also names Ricky Patel, a supervising agent with Homeland Security Investigations who led the arrest of Mr. Baraka on May 9 outside a 1,000-bed detention center near Newark Liberty International Airport that has become a flashpoint in President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Baraka’s civil suit, which accuses federal authorities of false arrest and malicious prosecution, also accuses Habba of defamation......

Habba announced a few days after the arrest that her office had agreed to drop the charges against the Newark mayor. But before the case was dismissed altogether, the federal judge to whom the case was assigned took the opportunity to scold Habba’s office for its handling of the matter.

Indeed, federal magistrate judge André Espinosa reprimanded the federal prosecutors for several minutes, calling the decision to abandon the charges “embarrassing.”

“The hasty arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, followed swiftly by the dismissal of these trespassing charges a mere 13 days later, suggests a worrying misstep by your office,” Espinosa said. “An arrest, particularly of a public figure, is not a preliminary investigative tool. It is a severe action, carrying significant reputational and personal consequences, and it should only be undertaken after a thorough, dispassionate evaluation of credible evidence.”

The mayor was soon after overheard saying, in reference to the judicial admonishment, “Jesus, he tore these people a new a--hole. Good grief.”

[hlthe2b]

6. Well, civil suit is better than nothing, but I wait for the day that criminal charges can be brought against

-that horrible sycophantic, bumbling parking lot attorney and we get to see her and her cohorts perp walked out of the AG's office.

Some day, maybe.

[republianmushroom]

7. I like it.

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8. Newark mayor sues Alina Habba for malicious prosecution

This will be fun to watch

Link to tweet

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/newark-mayor-sues-alina-habba-dismissed-trespassing-prosecution/story?id=122451381

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit against interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba on Tuesday, accusing her of malicious prosecution over his arrest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility last month.

The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and is against Habba and the Department of Homeland Security special agent who Baraka claims unlawfully took him into custody on May 9 at Delaney Hall, where he was joined by three members of Congress for what they said they intended to be an inspection of conditions at the detention facility.

"The false Affidavit was made with malice, particularly seeking to assure that the evening news included videos of the Black Mayor of Newark, New Jersey being led away in handcuffs by federal officials," the lawsuit said.

In the suit, Baraka accused Habba and Assistant Homeland Security Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin of seeking to politicize his arrest by promoting a "false and defamatory narrative" about the events that led to him being taken into custody.

[Passages]

9. Perfect response.

[Hotler]

10. Good!